Name/Title
DH84 Dragonfly G-ACJM "Trail of the Caribou", Framed Picture & Research DocumentsEntry/Object ID
2022.601.1Scope and Content
DH84 Dragonfly G-ACJM "Trail of the Caribou", framed picture with research documentsContext
The framed picture of the "Trail of the Caribou" #G-ACJM, shows the aircraft landed on the beach at Wasaga Beach, with Birchwood Cabins in the background. Birchwood Cabins were located near 9th Avenue on the beach in the approximate area of Wasaga Beach Provincial Park - Area 5. A section of a Chamber of Commerce 1939 map is included to show the location.
The History of Flight in Wasaga Beach:
In early years, the beachfront at Wasaga Beach was not only a main roadway it was also a natural runway for airplanes. In 1933, Captain James Mollison and his wife Amy Johnson attempted to fly their plane, the Seafarer II, from Wasaga Beach to Bagdad, Iraq in an attempt to break the long distance record. On the day they attempted to take off from the beachfront, high crosswinds made it difficult to take off. On their third attempt, the undercarriage of the plane was damaged preventing any further attempt to take off. The Mollison's sold the Seafarer II to James Ayling and Leonard Reid who restored and renamed the plane “Trail of the Caribou”. Ayling and Reid also planned to attempt to break the record for the longest flight. On the morning of August 8th, 1934, Ayling and Reid took off from Wasaga Beach in the Trail of the Caribou and made it to England. They encountered heavy fog and winds and used more fuel than they had anticipated. Although they did not break the world record they made the first direct non-stop flight from Canada to England.
The letter, dated September 29, 2011, included in the donation is from A.S. Arnold, Lieutenant Commander Royal Navy, Assistant Naval Adviser & Staff Officer, British High Commission, Ottawa, responding to George Fontaine, resident of Penetanguishene, who placed an enquiry about DH84 Dragonfly G-ACJM, Trail of the Caribou, about the possibility of the plane in a British documentary he watched. Copies of various webpages forwarded with the letter show flight history and include a crash landing at Hamble, England on August 12, 1934. It was determined the Trail of the Caribou was not in the documentary.
George Fontaine donated the picture along with the research documents and a note dated October 7, 2011, to George Vadeboncour, Town of Wasaga Beach.Acquisition
Accession
2022.601Source or Donor
George VadeboncoeurAcquisition Method
Gift
